Boundaries
by Spastic Spastic
Summary: There are many lines that friends don't cross and hurting Edward Elric's little brother is one noxious, dangerous line to pass. There is no contest between family and friends  family comes first. Thomas is going to learn that the hard way. Brotherlyfluff


Title: Boundaries

Summary: There are many lines that friends don't cross and hurting Edward Elric's little brother is one noxious, dangerous line to pass. There is no contest between family and friends - family comes first. Thomas is going to learn that the hard way. Brotherlyfluff. Preseries.

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.

IIIII

"_Moooom_." Only a whiny voice like that could come from a six year old year old.

"There's no compromise, Ed. I know you want to walk alone with your friends but your brother is more important."

"He should get his own friends!" huffed Ed, crossing his arms to show his irritation.

"It's his first year of kindergarten. He will make friends but I would feel more comfortable if he'd walk with you," said Trisha with a concerned look. "He's a curious child. Who knows what trouble he could get into."

"I know but still . . . it's not fair. The twerp will embarrass me by trying to hold my hand!" Edward said it as though the action were a sign of the apocalypse.

Trisha sighed knowing how stubborn her eldest could be. He wasn't likely to listen unless she snapped at him, and she hated doing that, but school was going to start in ten minutes.

"Ed just do it. Okay?" She tried to sound stern. When she saw no change she added, "Please? Alphonse loves you and admires you."

Edward stared up at his mother, watching the plea swim in her kind eyes, and gave up. With a long sigh he said, "I guess so."

He waited a moment as Trisha gathered their lunches, bookbags, and Alphonse who was brushing his teeth in the bathroom. He came down the hallway carrying his empty bookbag with a grin on his face. Al was obviously proud that he was old enough to go to school.

"Now remember Al, stay with the group. And if any strangers try to lead you away do not go with them, no matter what they say. Understand?" Trisha gave the same lecture as Ed had gotten the previous year. As Al nodded in agreement she let go of his hand which immediately clasped onto Ed's hand.

Edward got a quick warning glance from his mother telling him not to shun his little brother and he was on his way out the door, each of them with lunches in hands.

"What's school like?" Al asked.

Edward stopped at the end of the road where he usually waited for his friends, Thomas and Quin, second graders. He ignored Al's question for a moment as he waved to the two figures down the road with his free hand. Al repeated the gesture although he didn't realize who they were right away.

"It's boring. And stop waving. Those are _my_ friends," he reprimanded him.

Al looked discouraged and stopped waving. He knew who Ed's friends were, the kid who didn't like him was Thomas, and the kid that only tolerated him was Quin. Al wished that his brother would pick kinder friends but he trusted his older brother to put an end to harsh words that might come between them. Actually, Al didn't do a lot of talking back, he just ran.

"Hi Ed!" greeted Quin. "I heard that they got a new swing set!"

"We have to get there early so we can try it out," Thomas chipped in.

"The others will be there first."

"Let's hurry anyway!" Thomas said and started running. Quin soon followed and Ed tried a slow jog but Al was somewhat of a clutz, and almost tripped on his own two feet. Ed had to stop for a moment to let him catch up.

Quin only rolled his eyes but Thomas had to say something. "Why is _he_ with us?"

"It's his first year of school," Edward said indifferently. He looked to his brother and tugged on his hand as a gesture to follow. "I don't think I can run with you. Go ahead and I'll see ya' there."

His two friends exchanged glances and Thomas spoke up again. "Just let him walk alone. What is he? A stupid baby?"

"Am not!" Al squeaked, then recoiled halfway behind his older brother from Thomas's glare.

"He has no one else to walk with," said Ed coolly giving off a warning glare. "Just go ahead of me."

"Alright," Quin agreed. He pulled Thomas along behind him since the boy obviously wanted an argument to occur.

Edward sighed, counted to three, and was going to continue to walk when he felt a pull on his hand. "Nii-chan? Why dun' they like me?" Al asked with a sad tone.

"Because . . . well, you're five," Ed answered thinking that was a justifiable reason. Alphonse didn't quite understand but said nothing more. "Now c'mon. I don't want Mom to yell at me for you being late on your first day."

IIIII

Alphonse was not used to being around so many other children. It was becoming confusing, and he didn't understand why Ed had to go to the other hallway. He did know how to read though and instead of practicing his A B C's, like the other kids, he was reading a simple children's book. He had read more complicated things before, about alchemy, so it only bored him.

At nine thirty there was a recess and the kindergartner's were let out with the first graders and the second graders. He searched the small swarm of children for his brother but was soon lost. All the other children seemed to have friends. He suddenly felt lonely, watching them all play together, but was much too shy to do anything about it.

That was when he saw a familiar face running towards him. "Al!" Winry said happily, bouncing on her heels as she reached him. "Do you want to swing?"

"Yah!"

He followed her to the four swingsets and watched how high the other children were going. Very high he had to admit. Before he could gape any longer he took the seat beside Winry before anyone else had the chance to. Al knew how to swing since they had a tire swing out in the yard but never went past a foot in the air. He didn't want to fall and hurt himself. Winry didn't have such worries and before he knew it she was whipping by him, giggling with the others.

"Why aren't you swinging?" Winry asked loudly, passing him once again, swinging out her legs to go higher.

"I am swin'in'," Al huffed. He was more so rocking back in forth in a slow crawl, hoping to imitate a swing.

"C'moooon!" She prodded him, slowing down so she didn't fall out of her seat. "It's fun!"

Al wasn't convinced. Then he heard a sneer from behind him. "Like I said he's a stupid baby. Don't want to go any higher,_ baby_?"

"'M not a baby!"

Winry skidded a bit to a stop, and after she regained her balance she sent the older boys a cold stare. She knew who they were, and although she told Edward that they weren't nice, he still hung out with them. She momentarily wondered where Ed was, since he was their negotiator, but she'd worry about that later.

"Go away," She snapped hotly.

"We can be here. It's not a rule that we can't," Thomas said smugly.

"Then there should be."

"First grader's don't talk to me like that, stupid girl," said Thomas harshly. He crossed his arms, an icy glare to go with it.

"She ain't stupid!" defended Al.

"And _baby's_ don't talk to me like that either!" The seven year old kicked up dirt, making Al cough from the dirt that hung in the air.

"Leave him alone!" Winry shouted angrily.

"Show us and your little girlfriend here you ain't a baby. Swing!" said Quin with a laugh.

Winry glanced worriedly to Al. "You don't have to, Al."

"Swing or are you just a Mama's boy?" taunted Thomas cruelly. "I bet she still dresses you and feeds you! Baby, baby!" He went into that chant, followed by Quin who thought it was uproariously funny.

"Stop it!" Winry shouted. She looked to Al, who was growing pale, but was stuck. "Al don't listen to 'em. They're stupid."

For a moment Al thought about running . . . but he was so sick of running! Why should he be afraid of them? Maybe they would respect him, a little bit, if he did swing? With that thought in mind he started kicking and pulling his way to reach a terrifying height. He had never gone that high before. He got to the level of the bar and he felt himself part from the seat, and almost screamed from doing so, but was connected to it a moment later.

"Al! You're too high!" Winry called.

Edward, who had been reading by a tree, looked towards the swing sets. He had been so involved in reading that he hadn't seen his friends walk away. What made him look up though was Winry yelling, and although they were his friends too, she was still his best friend. With a quick look he saw the one next to him.

Al was swinging as high as he could.

_What's he doing? He's going to get killed!_ Edward thought frantically. He jumped up, letting his book fall behind him, and ran towards the swingset. As he went closer, Winry's voice got louder, and he heard, "Shutup Thomas! Just shutup! You too Quin! You're both jerks! Leave him alone!"

He saw his two second grade friends laughing up a storm. Winry looked genuinely mad and Al was slowing down. Truthfully his friends had times where they crossed the line with other people but Edward hardly said anything. They were two of the most popular boys in school and they wanted to hang out with him - that meant not getting picked on, which meant a lot since his year in kindergarten, before them, had been quite unbearable.

Although Edward was angry that they were taunting Winry, calling her dumb, he was downright furious when he saw what happened next.

Al had been slowing down gradually but was still too high to get a safe landing. Al had always been afraid of putting his heels into the ground to stop himself, even when he was slow going, since he was afraid of falling. Apparently he was so caught up with fear that he didn't notice Thomas coming in closer behind with a sick grin on his face.

"What goes up comes down _baby_!"

Thomas grasped Al's wrists, pulling their grip away from the chains, and pushed him forward with a hard blow in the back from a punch. Al let out a cry before he landed face down in the dirt a foot away from the swing set. Anyone that had been watching was looking at Alphonse in unadulterated horror.

Edward wasn't sure what to do first. Check on Al? Get a teacher? Hit his friend senseless? Actually Winry seemed to be doing that very well. She had taken off her sandal and smacked Thomas across the face and had successfully scared Quin into running away.

Edward kneeled beside his brother and whispered, "Al are you okay?" He rolled his brother over, seeing blood trickling from his mouth, a gash in his lip. Al looked as though he wanted to cry but wouldn't in the presence of his brother. "You can cry."

"'M not a baby."

"I know that . . ."

"Nii-chan, it hurts." Al pointed to his lip which was slowly swelling.

"I know, I know." Edward looked up to see Thomas trying to push Winry out of his face. Just looking at his 'friend', and seeing what he had done, was bubbling inside of him. Sure Thomas said some mean things, and he had always told him to leave Al alone, but calling him names wasn't the same as hurting him!

Edward left his brother and ran as fast as he could towards Thomas. Winry, seeing this, jumped out of the way. Thomas was either too slow or too dumb to move away and was tackled to the ground, getting punched in the face by one seriously ticked off six year old.

"_Never_! _Hurt_! _Al_! _Again_!" He accentuated each word with a punch.

Before the other boy could retaliate Ed felt someone pull him away. His teacher Ms. Vonn pulled him away. "I know you're upset Ed but you can't attack someone like that!" she chided.

"Did you see Al?" He shouted breaking out of her grasp. "He pushed him off the swing!"

"I saw it too Ms. Vonn!" said Winry after putting her sandal back on.

Al's teacher, Mr. Hayns, was by the five year olds side with a small pack of ice and trying to calm the crying boy down.

"Thomas will be dealt with, I assure you," said Ms. Vonn grimly.

"But-"

"Shouldn't you be with your brother Ed? He's crying."

Edward looked behind him and was heartbroken to see his baby brother cry. Of course he had seen Al cry before, but it was over silly things that seemed important to a toddler, and it was the first time that Al had been hurt by another person. He walked to Al who quickly covered his face with his hands, letting the pack of ice drop onto the ground.

"Al you need to hold that," said Edward a tad impatiently. With a deep breath he picked it up, wiped it off, and gave it back to his brother who only shook his head. He was peeking out from underneath two spread fingers. "You're braver than I am. I woulda' cried when I hit the ground."

" . . . You cry, Nii-chan?"

Forgetting his pride he muttered, "Yeah just don't tell anybody."

"I'm going to go call your mother, Alphonse, stay right here," said Mr. Hayns before walking towards the small school.

Winry walked over and hugged her younger friend. "I hit him good for you Al," She said after letting him go. The blonde girl turned to Ed and whispered, "You need better friends."

"Well . . . I've got you and I've got Al. So . . ." He trailed off. He regained his thought process after a moment. "So I guess you both are the only friends that I need."

Alphonse had always been the first to initiate any sort of comforting between the brothers, but with the state that Al was in, Edward opened his arms and said with a sigh, "C'mon, I know you want a hug."

Ed also needed to communicate that he was sorry. Sorry for not paying closer attention. Sorry for letting his 'friends' taunt him. Sorry for not being a better big brother. He didn't do it verbally, but by hugging the five year old, he hoped he got that across.

Alphonse crawled into his brother's arms and stayed there until the bell rang, comfortable that Edward was the only friend he would ever need.

IIIII

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